


Sweater Weather

by mglouise97



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:58:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2954774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mglouise97/pseuds/mglouise97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something happens to Carlos's ugly sweater.....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweater Weather

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for jean-bo-peep on tumblr for the 2014 Welcome to Night Vale Secret Santa :3

\-----

Carlos was in the middle of his bowl cereal when Cecil ran out of their bedroom, grinning and excited like a kid on Christmas morning. But Night Vale doesnt have Christmas, Carlos remembered. 

Cecil was wearing pink fleece pajama pants with blue bananas on them. They were noticeably 3 inches too short for him. But he kept them because they were his very favorite pjs. On the top, Cecil was wearing a loose red shirt, probably 2 sizes too big. Cecil bought it like that on purpose. He said he liked it better that way. All put together, Cecil looked like jigsaw puzzle made with puzzle pieces from three different puzzles. And Carlos loved it. Cecil is in no way normal, as is Night Vale. But like the strange desert town, he is beautiful and mysterious and a puzzle that Carlos cant wait to solve. 

Carlos put down his spoon and gave Cecil a big hug. 

"Whats the special occasion?" Carlos asked, smiling. Cecil's happiness has always been dangerously contagious. 

Without answering, Cecil ran the fireplace and began digging around in the ashes from the fire they made the previous night. Carlos had learned to just roll with the punches when it came to the strange things Cecil does. He's never been very good at that, though. 

After a minute, Cecil squealed and held up his now blackened hands. 

Cupped in his palm was a thin piece of asparagus. 

Carlos just stared blankly at Cecil and his apperently precious vegatable. Finally, Cecil spoke. Actually, a bubble of words came pouring out of his mouth which Carlos could hardly decifer. 

"Carlos! Look! We passed the test! Oh I'm SO happy!!! Oh I wonder if Old Woman Josie passed too! We should call her! Carlo--." Cecil giggled as he realized that, since this was the first year they were living together, so in the past no one had been there to explain this household treat. He took Carlos's hands and gingerly placed the asparagus into his open palm. 

"Carlos I am so sorry. I forgot to explain, but you will be so happy. So today is December 24th, Annual Home Inspection Day." Cecil picked up the stringy vegatable and wiggled it around in the air. "And we passed! So here's how it works. On the night before the Annual Home Inspection Day when everyone in Night Vale is sleeping, the real estate agents run around town in their deers, as per their usual transport. They climb onto everyone's roofs and inspect all of the houses. All in one night!!! And if you fail the inspection, you get a packet of Arby's mustard in the fireplace and then must submit to reeducation. But if you pass, you get an asparagus!!!" By the end of his speech, Cecil was breathless with excitement. 

Carlos just laughed. Be doubled over and held his stomach as he cried with laughter. Then Cecil began to laugh too and soon they were both rolling on the floor laughing at what, they couldnt remember. As the laughter calmed, they were staring at each other, both filled to the brim with happiness of just being together. Carlos pecked Cecil on the lips and stood up. 

"Alright then. Didnt you say something about calling Old Woman Josie?" Carlos said as he helped Cecil to his feet. 

\-----

After eavesdropping on quite a lengthy phone conversation (Cecil and Old Woman Josie are very good friends, despite their age difference and Josie's association with the illicit angels), Carlos learned that Old Woman Josie did indeed pass her Home Inspection. In fact, the only reason she passed was because of all of the help the angels have done around the house in the past year. This bothered Cecil quite a bit, but he was happy that his friend had gotten her asparagus. 

Apperently the Annual Home Inspection Day was a huge deal in Night Vale and Old Woman Josie had decided to host a party in celebration of the town's success. (to what degree Cecil had coaxed her into this was not discussed but Cecil does love a good party). 

"And it's Christmas themed! We all have to wear ugly Christmas sweaters!" Cecil squealed when he got off the phone.

"But I thought Night Vale doesnt have Christmas?" Carlos was very confused now. Last year Cecil was very upset when Carlos had gotten him a gift for Christmas.

"Well, we dont. Not really. We dont worship those idol gods. We just eat food and dress up and have parties and all of that fun stuff without the worshipping part. The Glow Cloud knows we have too many gods to worship as it is." Cecil explained, rolling his eyes. 

"Oh, ok. So I can wear my sweater? I'll be socially acceptable?" Carlos asked. 

Cecil pulled him in for a hug and whispered in his ear, "You're always socially acceptable." Carlos could just hear him smiling. 

\-----

When Carlos pulled out his homemade ugly sweater from the back of his closet, his face fell. There was a big red stain in the middle of the cream white knit fabric. It was his favorite christmas sweater. He had made it from one of those kits during his first Christmas home from college. It smell of his mother's cooking and home. He really wanted to wear it for Cecil. Finally, someone he was close enough with to share this special part of him. Glancing at his watch, Carlos estimated that if he quickly threw it into the washer now, they would only have to be 10 minutes late to the party. 

Cecil would ok with 10 minutes, right?

\----

 

"Carlossss" Cecil whinned from his upside down position on the couch. "Are you ready yet?"

Carlos was hidden away in the hallway, anxiously awaiting the *ding* from the dryer to let him know that his sweater was dry. He had made sure that he was as ready as possible before the sweater came out so they could leave immediately. 

He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and his nice black "not for science" shoes. His hair had been freshly combed to just the way Cecil likes it, swooping up and down like hills all the way from his part down towards his ear. (although Cecil has recently changed his story and said his new favorite 'Carlos hair' is the messy unbrushed look it has when he gets out of the shower). All he needed now was that sweater. If anything, it was cold to be standing in the hallway without a shirt. 

*ding*

Carlos grinned widely, threw on his warm and fluffy sweater, and marched into the living room to finally show Cecil.

When Cecil saw his sweater, he got up and walked over to Carlos, smiling sweetly. Carlos has always treasured this special kind of Cecil smile. He believes that its reserved for Cecil's favorite things because he only wears it when he pets Khoshekh and starts his radio show. Carlos cant believe that he is allowed to see it. 

Cecil ran one hand through Carlos's hair and then focused his attention on Carlos's eyes. 

"You look beautiful." Cecil said gently, and kissed Carlos with the same amount of soft love and care that had filled his words. 

Suddenly, Carlos broke off the kiss with a horrified look on his face. 

"What was that!?" Carlos asked with a panic in his voice. He looked down and saw what had happened. 

While he had been wrapped up in Cecil's wonderful embrace, he had felt a sharp coldness on his stomach. 

When he looked down, he saw that it was Cecil's (apperently icey cold) fingers around his waist. His sweater no longer covered his belly button. The dryer had shrunk his favorite christmas sweater, making it much uglier than Carlos had intended for it to be. 

"Oh God, it shrunk. Its... I'm hideous. Let me just go change, Cecil." Carlos's sadness was seeping through his words and crushing his spirits. 

Cecil looked slightly confused, but was still smiling and cupping Carlos's chin in his free hand. 

"But Carlos, its fine. Like I said, you look beautiful. The sweater isnt hideous. You look like a stunning christmas tree." Cecil still had that ridiculous grin on his face. Somehow it made Carlos feel a little bit better. 

"But its my favorite sweater and I really wanted to share it with you and now its ruined and I look stupid and we're going to be so late for the party." Carlos babbled.

"Sweetie," Cecil looked at him with such love that Carlos began to think that maybe he didnt look too bad with the shrunken sweater. "I love your sweater. The belly button just makes you more adorable. I feel privileged that you would share such an intimate part of your life with me and I will accept that in whatever form it takes. And I do not care how late we will be. You are much more important than a silly party." Cecil said this with so much conviction and love in his words that Carlos simply hugged him in response. They stood like that for a good minute before Carlos finally spoke, this time with a smile. 

"So, I dont look stupid in this sweater?" Carlos said, looking at his exposes stomach. 

"Not one bit." Cecil replied. 

Carlos grinned broadly. "Alright then. Lets go to the party, radio host." Carlos poked Cecil in his stomach and then out the door they left. 

This, Carlos decided, was going to be a pretty great Christmas.


End file.
